Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court

In a realm modeled on ancient China, five noble clans each present a daughter as a candidate for imperial consort, yet only one maiden may rise to become empress. Among them is Kou Reirin, the imperial court's celebrated "butterfly"—beautiful, graceful, and hampered by a frail constitution. Her betrothal to the crown prince seems all but assured, her path to the empress's seat paved in silk. That certainty shatters during the dazzling Lantern Festival, when Shu Keigetsu—the so-called "court rat" of the palace—lashes out at Reirin and swaps their bodies, slipping effortlessly into her coveted place at court. Reirin awakens not in her own silken chambers, but in a cold dungeon cell, trapped in her assailant's form. To everyone watching, her fate appears devastating: her identity stolen, her future wrenched away, and the specter of execution looming overhead. Yet Reirin herself feels anything but despair. For the first time in her life, she inhabits a strong, robust body brimming with vitality—and not even the looming threat of the executioner's blade can stop her now.